Lions think they have Ziggy Ansah’s birthday right

There may be some Ziggy Ansah birthers out there, but not in the Lions front office.

In one of the stranger stories of the day (though it’s early yet), the Lions clarified that their defensive end is actually 27 years old.

The whispers about his age have been there since he was drafted, but the Lions have always listed his birthday as May 29, 1989. But when he went to his native Ghana to launch his foundation, news reports there pegged him at 29.

While it might seem like a trivial distinction, it could be worth some money to Ansah down the road. If he enters his contract year at 28, it seems more logical to give him a long-term contract. A 30-year-old hitting the market might not be so warmly received.

The most important number for Ansah to rectify, however, is his sack total. He had just two last year after recording 30.0 in his first three years.

But with the possibilities of a $17 million franchise tag or an even bigger long-term deal on the horizon, it’s something they need to make sure they get right.

I once heard of a soccer team in England signing an African player that had been round the block a few times but they signed this guy anyway beleiveing he was 34. After he visited the dentist who happened to be a friend of the owner who said did you realise your new player had the teeth of somebody in mid to late 40’s. The owner wasn’t pleased with this news as the player was one of the top earners.

ishyinalittledishy says:
May 10, 2017 2:17 PM
I once heard of a soccer team in England signing an African player that had been round the block a few times but they signed this guy anyway beleiveing he was 34. After he visited the dentist who happened to be a friend of the owner who said did you realise your new player had the teeth of somebody in mid to late 40’s. The owner wasn’t pleased with this news as the player was one of the top earners.

I am Ghanaian and that used to be the norm back in the early 90’s. The whole Ghana under 17 squad was probably 26 when they won, it actually was quite pervasive amongst many African countries kinda a running joke so to speak lol.